
It's the question on the lips of every business owner right now - both large and small. With half your clients on 80% of their wages with lots of time on their hands, and the other half facing serious financial hardship it can be really difficult to know what to do for the best. If your business is safe to operate then in theory it makes complete sense to do so but I know so many of you are being made to feel guilty or like you're profiting from this pandemic simply by keeping things open and striving to put food on the table in front of your children. We're balancing more than we have ever had to do before. Financial hardship, a loss in normal daily life and routine, worry for the safety and health of our loved ones, checking and rechecking for home delivery slots or nipping to the shops and having to worry every time you hear so much as someone clear their throat - then don't even get me started on homeschooling our children. All of that is without trying to actual do the activities that keep our business' running and growing. Then along comes coach sally on your newsfeed, telling you NOW is the time to make your mark. Adverts popping up telling you things like 'I've managed to host a £50k launch simply by working through the pandemic when others weren't and you should be too'. ...and that's just fine. Honestly. She totally has a point - there certainly is an argument for working while others aren't. However, she likely has lots of her workload outsourced to other people.
There will be some who are able to continue fairly normally and thats just wonderful, but it doesn't mean you're potentially now sat in the middle, wondering what on earth to do. Coach Sally tells you that you should be working. That there is cash to be made if you keep going where others have stopped. Your social media makes you feel like if you so much as suggest you're available to accept someones money in exchange for goods or services then you're the devil incarnate, profiting from the poor health of those around you. Then you sit and look at all the things you have to balance now and fit into your day - you're missing your family and friends, your husband is under your feet, you're worried about the amount of screen time the kids are having and it breaks your heart that you simply don't have the head space to give to your business. You know, the thing you've poured your blood, sweat and tears into...
MY advice... don't bow to pressure in either direction. The first and most important thing in this uncertain times is that you and your family are well, both physically and emotionally.